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The Best Way to Film Interviews

Introduction: The Best Way to Film Interviews

Hello! My name is Garrett, and I'm here to show you the best (in my opinion) way to interviews for you movie!

For this simple Instructable you'll need:

- Lights

- Tripod

- Boom mic

- A quiet place to film

- Camera

- Actors

- Editing software

- Script

Step 1: Interviews

Interviews are a great for behind the scenes or special features in your movie. You can get a great look into what the film is about, and what the actors are like. While Interviews are kind of cliche, you as the filmmaker can put your own personal touch to them.

Now you can do it the basic way where you just grab an actor, plop him/her in a chair, grab a camera and film their answers to your questions that you made up off the top of your head. You don't want to be basic though. If you do, that's ok, but if not keep reading.

The way I did it is the 'all out way'. I mean lights, tripod, boom mic, script and closed set. This will get you the best results.

First what you want to do, is write a script of questions to ask your actors so you're not standing behind the camera going "uhhhhh" and "errrrrrr." I got someone not involved in the interviews to write the questions, that way our answers would be genuine and not scripted. This is where good improv skills come in handy.

Now that you have your script made you want to find a nice quiet place to make your set. Somewhere away from excessive noise, doors to keep out onlookers and anyone who doesn't have sufficient leg strength to pick their feet up when they walk. Find a good spot in this room to sit your actors down. Preferably a corner. It also helps if you can find a spot with an even paint colour, so your viewer doesn't get distracted by vibrant colours, or crazy patterns.

Perfect! You have questions and a set! Now all you need is some lighting. If you don't have lights on stands that's ok. They are nice to have but not a necessity. The harsh florescent lights found in most public places don't give you the best lighting in the world. So if you have some nice lights, set them up to the left and right of your actor and try and eliminate as much shadow as possible.

Now go get your tripod and your camera, and set those up between your lights. Sit your actor down, and you're ready to shoot some interviews!

There are many ways to edit your interviews and many different software's you can use. Editing can differ depending on the type of interview you want (comedy or serious).

You can make a montage of Interviews by taking questions out of order for each member of the cast, or you can show each actor answer the same question one at a time. A montage makes it more enjoyable to watch instead of just one actor at a time answering all their questions and can also offer more humour.

Each actor answering one at a time can be be better for a more serious interview, but you can still use it for a comedic interview if you have a large cast, or limited amount of time to edit your interviews.

You can also add some intro and outro music to make it more interesting

Editing is really up to you. Do whatever you like while editing. This is a good time to learn the different effects of your editing software. Don't be afraid to let your creativity flow!

Step 3: The Final Product

Here is my final product. After interviews of four people and a little editing we've got Interview gold!

I hope that this Instructable helped you in some way, leave your feedback in the comment section, and if you don't know how to offer constructive criticism, please read my Instructable on How to Offer Constructive Criticism available here: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Offer-Cons...